Queen Mary 2 (QM2) Cruise Review by 4458Preston: Fourth of July Holiday 2nd Time as Good as the First

Queen Mary 2 (QM2)

Overall Member Rating

Fourth of July Holiday 2nd Time as Good as the First

Sail Date:
July 2013
Destination:
Canada & New England
Embarkation:
New York (Manhattan)

This was cruise #2 on the QM2. We are two gay men in our late 50's and wanted to do one more short cruise to make certain we could handle a much longer cruise. We loved the QM2 ship last year and it did not disappoint us this year. We booked a BC Balcony on deck 11 forward part of the ship. Last year we were Britannia Club in the middle on deck 12. We did not notice a substantial difference. For the money, the location on ship wasn't that noticeable. In some ways, we liked being forward in the ship more. We were closer to elevators.

Although we had set times for dining, we actually liked the large restaurant better than the small Britannia Club. The service was better, the Maitre 'd friendlier and got us a better table. The ambience of being in the larger room was grande...the views nicer. It is something to consider if you are thinking about paying more for the Club rooms. Save your money. I really can't understand some of the poor reviews about the food. We ate in the More
dining room for each lunch and dinner. Choices were great, timing was perfect, and the food really good. Perhaps it wasn't like a $200 meal, but it was elegantly presented, creative, and interesting flavors...and nice diverse choices. You would have to be either picky or a snob to not find plenty to eat from the Britannia menu. The Britannia state rooms are compact, but there is plenty of storage, closet space, drawers and nightside table storage. For the price, you really can't beat this level of room. We like the balconies because it does extend the room and we spent time on the balcony.

If you haven't sailed on the QM2 it is a grand ocean liner. It is wonderful to hear string quartets playing in the restaurant, bars. Great piano music. For the most part people dress and it is just a lovely, upscale traveling experience. The Kings Court is not horrible as some depict it. It is very busy, but food is great and you can get a nice breakfast, lunch, or dinner there if you are on the run and don't want to spend a lot of time at a meal. We loved walking the decks...all of them. The top of the ship is fun and lots of walking or promenade space there, too. The entertainment was good. Good song and dance numbers and a very talented former Olympic gymnist.

On this particular cruise there were 75 or so GLBT travelers. We met couples in the Commodore Bar. It really became like a gay bar from 5:00 to 7:00 during cocktail hours and after dinner. Everyone is friendly and just a terrific atmosphere. We made friends that we are still corresponding with.

One bad thing I will mention. We had problems with our toilet flushing on days 2, 3, and 4. It was frustrating. Reported it each day. It wasn't like it didn't work the entire time, it was just intermittant with the suction system. But it was annoying. Finally, I had to go down to the Pursers desk and demand to speak to a supervisor. That was difficult. They do not want to come out. But, I did and it was odd. They are extremely beaurocratic and focus more on filling out the paperwork for the problem than appeasing disgruntled passengers. It was annoying that they didn't see this as a big issue to have sewage standing in your toilet in your stateroom. It was finally completely repaired on day 4. If you are reading this and considering a cruise, don't freak out. There are 1200+ cabins on the ship and we just were unlucky. Even having this problem, we are looking at the 16 day Panama Canal cruise because we like the ship so much. We will just go down the purser's office sooner next time. All in all...it is a great ship and I highly recommend it. Less

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Cabin review: BB11007 Balcony

Quiet location, convenient for elevators, and close to the panoramic elevator that few people use or know about. Very little movement. Book on the starboard side for better views going out of New York Harbor.